Igniter for explosive-engines.



No. 735,036. PATBNTED JULY 28, 1903.

' W. H. JONES.

IGNITER' FOR EXPLOSIVE' ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITIJEEEEIE: TUFKQ fl: 22:2 WWW PATBNTED JULY 28, 1903.

W. H. JONES. IGNITBR FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATIONv EIILKD, JAN. 7. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

i: a m n A/ITIJEE 5 E =5:

No. 735,036. PATENTED JULY 28; 1903. W. H. JONES. IGNITBR FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7. 1903,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES seemed July as, 1903."

PATENT OFFICE.

IGNITER FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,036, dated July 28, 1903.

Original application filed November 13, 1902, Serial No. 129,843. Divided and this application filed January 7, 1903- Serial 7 No. 138,143- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Igniters for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gas-engines in which the power results from a succession of explosions, and particularly that class of gasengines of the so-called four-cycle type, in which the cylinder makes an explosion every second revolution.

Moreover, the invention relates to that class of gas-engines in which there is a plurality of cylinders arranged with relation to the shaft in such a manner that the explosions therein take place consecutively and with great rapidity, whereby neutralization and practical absorption of the vibrations from the different cylinders is effected and a balanced motor is produced. 7

In the drawings 1 have illustrated my invention as applied to a gas-engine in which three cylinders are arranged radially around the shaft; but I do not confine myself to such an arrangement of cylinders.

My present invention relates particularly to means for timing and varying the time of the passage of the electric spark with relation to the position of the piston in the cylinder, whereby back explosions are prevented and the speed of the motor increased, and to means for controlling the secondary current in order that a single coil is enabled to spark a plurality of cylinders or as many cylinders as may be employed.

The nature of the invention is fully described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, looking from the left, of a gas-engine embodying and illustrating the operation of my invention, portions being represented as broken out. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in sectional elevation,taken through the gear-case, illustrating the mechanism for controlling the sparking. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the means for controlling the primary and secondary currents, and thereby properly timing the passage of the electric spark.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

1, Figs. 1 and 2, represents a case provided with radial extensions 2 (in this instance three in number) for supporting the cylinders 3, 4, and 5, and mounted on this case is the crank-shaft 6. The cylinders are provided with ordinary pistons connected by pistonrods with a suitable crank mounted on the wheels 12, engaged by said gear 11 and supported by a suitable stud 13, sustained by the crank-shaft case.

Rigidly mounted on' one of thelcamgears 12 is a disk 14, ofinsulating material, provided on its periphery with three notches, as best illustrated in Fig. 3 and inthe diagram shown in Fig. 4, said notches being numbered 15, 16, and 17 and having relation in their operation to the cylinders 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The stud 13 of this particular gear 12 is provided with an extension 18, which constitutes a pivot-pin for a bell-crank 19 of insulating material. This crank is made, preferably, but not necessarily, triangular in shape, and one of its corners has pivotally connected with it a rod 20, whose opposite end is pivotally connected with one end of an operating-lever 21, which is pivoted'at 22 to the bracket 23, extending from the case 1, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. Secured also to the bracket 23 is a suitable locking contrivance 24, whereby the lever 21 may be locked in any desired position. At the opposite corner of the bell-crank 19 there is pivoted to it at 25, Figs. 3 and 4, an arm 26, which is provided near its free end with a roller or wheel duction-coil 32, which is connected bya wire 33 with the insulation bell -crank 19. The wire 29 has electrical connection directly with the metallic arm 26 or the spring 28, and the wi re 33 is directly connected with the metallic contact 34 on the insulating bell-crank. It will readily be seen that as the gear 12 and insulation-disk 14 rotate the arm 26 and roll 27 are lifted out of and dropped into the notches 15 16 17. When the roll is on the periphery of the disk-that is, out of a notchthe free end of the metallic arm 26 is lifted off out of contact with the contact-point 34 and the circuit is open; but when the roll is dropped into any of the said notches the circuit is closed by the free end of the arm 26 being in contact with the point 34,.the electric current passing through the metallic arm and its metallic connection with the wire 29 to the wire 33.

The coil 32 makes a part of a secondary circuit, which comprises a wire 35, Figs. 1 and 4, which connects with the metallic frame of the machine, and the wire 36, which leads to the insulated wire 37, which is supported by and insulated from the three radial extensions 38 of the case 1, Figs. 1, 2, and 4. Secured to the outer ends of the radial extensions 38 are blocks of T-shaped insulation 39, supporting pairs of brushes 4O, 41, and 42, the last being indicated in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4. The electric wire 37 is connected by suitable leads 43 with one of each pair of brushes 40, 41, and 42, while the otherof each pair of brushes is connected by the protected electric wires 44 with the spark-plugs 45 in the different cylinders, the construction and operation of said spark-plugs being common and needing no detailed description. Of course there are as many brushes and electrical connections with the spark-plugs as there are cylinders. Rigid on the crank-shaft 6 is a short arm 46, on the outer end of which is a segmental disk 47 of insulating material, preferably fanshaped and provided on its inner surface with a curved metallic contact-plate 48, preferably describing an arc of a circle of which the crank-shaft 6 is the center, said contactplate coming successively into contact with the brushes during the rotations of the crankshaft. (See full lines in Fig. 1 and dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 4.)

In the diagrammatic view shown in Fig. 4 the operating-lever 21 is vertical, thereby .causing the spark to pass when the piston is on the dead-center, and of course it will be understood that moving the leverin opposite directions causes the spark to pass before or after the piston is on the dead-center, with the effect of increasing or decreasing the speed. In operation the gear 11 on the crank-shaft rotates twice with one rotation of the gear 12, and hence the arm 46, which is fast on the crank-shaft, rotates twice with every rotation of the gear 12 and carries with it the curved contact-plate 48. Hence with each rotation of the crank-shaft the three brushes are successively brought into contact with the con tact-plate 48; but inasmuch as there is but one rotation, as above mentioned, of the gear 12, and hence one rotation of the insulationdisk 14 to two rotations of the gear 11, and inasmuch as the notches 15, 16, and 17 are all located within one-halfof the periphery of the insulation-disk the contacts of the plate 48 with the brushes 40, 41, and 42 are alternately electrical and merely physical. In other words, with every second revolution of the gear 11 there is electrical contact of all three pairs of brushes with the plate 48, and with every alternate revolution of the gear 11 on the crankshaft there is a merely physical but nonelectrical contact of the pair of brushes with the plate. Hence as the electric sparks only pass with the electrical contact of the brushes, which occurs when the roller 27 drops into the notches on the wheel 14 and makes the primary circuit, the sparks only pass while that portion of the disk 14 which contains the notches is rotating under the arm 26, as while the rest of the periphery is passing under the arm the electrical circuit is broken. Hence the sparks only pass with every alternate rotation of the crank-shaft and gear 11.

Thus, this being a four-cycle engine, the I sparks only pass during that cycle which includes the period of compression.

The variation of the time of the passage of the spark with relation to the position of the piston in the cylinder is of course effected by the operation of the lever 21, and the contact-plate '47 is of such a shape and length that it will connect and unite with the brushes of a pair for a spark produced with the lever 21 in any position, and hence for any speed, either forward or backward, within the capacity of the mechanism. Thus by means of my adequate insulation and peculiar construction the secondary circuit is under such complete control that short-circuiting and back explosions are entirely prevented.

The gear-wheel 12 is provided on its rear side with a cam 49, (indicated in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3,) said cam being adapted to engage and operate a system of levers for controlling the action of the exhaust-valve and regulating the speed and power of the engine, said system of levers making no part of this invention, but being described and illustrated in my application filed November 13, 1902, Serial No. 129,843,

for Letters Patent.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a gas-engine of the character described, the crankshaft and the gear 11 mounted thereon; the cam-gears 12 mounted on studs and in engagement with the gearon the crankshaft, and corresponding in number with the number of the cylinders; a disk of insulating material mounted on and rotating with one of the cam-gears and formed on its periphery with notches corresponding in number with the number of the cylinders; the bell-crank 19 of insulating material mounted on an extension of one of said studs and independent of the cam-gear; a metallic arm pivoted to said bell-crank and provided with a suitable roller; means for holding said arm with its roller against the periphery of said disk; an electrical contact mounted on the bell-crank and adapted! to contact with said metallic arm when its roller is in a notch, and to be outof contact therewith when said roller is lifted out of a notch; electric wires forming a circuit and connected respectively with said contact and the metallic arm; and an operating-lever for imparting rotation to the bellcrank, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. JONES.

Witnesses: v

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, A. N. BONNEY. 

